Soap on a rope

Gee, October sure snuck onto to the scene quite promptly. Last night I went to a going away party for Mario at Ristorante Allegria in downtown Napa. Mario is Edward Clunies-Ross' brother in law and a decent chap who is joining the Air Force. The next ten weeks will determine if he has the "Right Stuff." The dinner was held in an old bank building. I arrived early and had myself a Seven-up with Roses lime juice (my favorite non- alcoholic drink). I sat at the bar waiting for the rest of the party to arrive as I watched the Los Angeles Angels get spanked by the Yankees in a playoff game that will determine who goes to the world series. Eventually, a gentleman named Gavin arrived and after he introduced himself we chatted for a bit and I asked him to watch my camera and sunglasses while I went back to my car to fetch my wallet ( I don't feel secure in restaurant with only my change purse ) . Later, when everyone arrived, we proceeded to the old bank's vault where we were seated for dinner. Edward brought the nice bottle of "Arida" from Vineyard 29 that I gave him. Dr. Marco said it was quite smooth after he took a sip. Dr. Marco is Edward's Croatian friend from the Queen of the Valley Hospital where he works as a Radiologist ( I think ). The dinner was great as we indulged in a variety of Italian dishes. I had the Pasta con Polle . Their was much talk around the table about wine, sports cars, the military, work, television commercials and food. All in all it was a very pleasant evening.Edward paid for the whole meal, to which I am very grateful.Mario was given the nice gift shown around his neck by Gavin.